Strangers & Ladyloves
by MadeintheUS
Summary: Teenage Vauseman AU: Piper Chapman, the Litchfield cheer captain from a WASPy upbringing, believes she's living life how it's supposed to be lived as the schools most popular girl (given her circumstances), until a stranger at a party changes that.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer : All definitions are from Merriam Webster, and belong to them. & I own nothing OITNB.**_

 _Teenage Vauseman AU, Summary: Piper Chapman, the Litchfield cheer captain from a WASPy upbringing, believes she's living life how it's supposed to be lived as the schools most popular girl (given her circumstances), until a stranger at a party turns that upside down in a matter of moments. Rated T but future chapters will be marked 'M' for mature themes._

 **This is very loosely based on the one-shot 'The Swimming Pool' that I wrote a few weeks ago. Some excerpts from that will be used in** _ **this chapter only**_ **.**

 **Enjoy.**

 _ **Strangers and Ladyloves**_

* * *

 _pop·u·lar·i·ty_

 _state of being liked, enjoyed, accepted, or done by a large number of people : the quality or state of being popular_

* * *

Growing up in the Chapman home, love wasn't to be professed, emotions weren't to be shown, and punctuality was crucial. Seeing her father's infidelity and her mother drink herself into oblivion first hand at the young age of eleven had been ingrained in her mind for the past six years and counting, causing her to wonder what a normal family was like or if a normal family was just something of a fantasy.

The Chapman residence was two stories, and everything looked opulent inside and out. Gleaming wood floors that were constantly waxed and polished were laid throughout each floor, accenting the white wash walls that were adorned with pictures of various times throughout the Chapman's life. The furniture was lavish and expensive, and were never to be sat on unless it was for mid-morning tea or visits with people from the country club. In the living room, delicate settees sat on either side of a vintage coffee table, and a fireplace that was only lit on special occasions was proudly standing in front. Any recreational activity had to be done in the living room, bedrooms, basement, or the game room.

The game room was where all the magic happened. It was the focal point of each jumping party that was held, and was also where Piper liked to scope out the quarterback, but that was a different story. She had Larry Bloom, a former member of the tennis team and her boyfriend of a year. Larry had graduated a year previous when Piper was a sophomore. Their relationship had been Piper's first serious one, and her parents had highly approved of this boy considering his father was a well-known lawyer. Larry was sweet, gentle, and kind, and also not much of a risk taker. For their first anniversary, he had taken her on a picnic by the New York Harbor that overlooked the scenic view of the Statue of Liberty.

Piper Chapman wasn't a risk taker unless you really pushed her over the edge, hence why she didn't jump out of the back of the bus the day school had let out for Christmas break in elementary school, but she was a firm believer in defending herself or others. Her whole life she had services coming in and out of her home to clean it, country club visits, and holiday party's that all of her parents rich, and stuck up "friends" came to. They were friends in front of their face, but as soon as they all left, Carol Chapman had nothing good to say about them. It was always, "Don't you think her dress was a little too tight on her, honey?", or "She needs to go get a face lift, those hideous earrings just attracted that much more attention to her." Bill always just stood back, trying to ease away so he could go be with his awaiting lover and get away from the madness of his home. As for Danny, Piper's older brother, he had moved out two years ago, and never looked back. Calvin, or "Cal", was the youngest and was the most colorful out of the three. He wasn't afraid to speak his mind or try new things, something his parents often frowned upon. Attending these superfluous parties wasn't in Piper's blood. She would much rather curl up with a good book or spend her time doing something more enjoyable.

These parties held by her parents were the first type of parties that the Chapmans were known for, the second type of party were the kind where no one left the house sober and someone's pants always ended up getting stolen, but the cops were never called. _Those_ parties had been started thanks to Danny and his athletic capabilities of leading the football team to the state championship during the fall of his junior year, but since he graduated, Piper was the one to have to uphold the Chapman name until she graduated, and then it would be up to Cal.

Everyone knew Piper and constantly said hi to her in the hallways. She had been Litchfield's best cheer captain in years. Piper was about giving fair chances,

"Hey, Chapman."

Lorna Morello, Litchfield High School's cheer squad co-captain, approached the blonde while they were taking a quick water break. Lorna was of the short nature and very much Italian. Her boyfriend Christopher was the senior, point guard for the varsity basketball team, and they had been together for almost four months. The Italian was heavy into the candy red lipstick to contrast her pale skin tone.

"Hey! Lorna, great back hand spring a second ago. I think we're starting to really come together."

"Oh, thanks. I just hope it will still be as good on Friday as it is now."

"I'm sure it will be." Piper smiled.

Piper was trying her best to keep a cheerful face and a positive attitude, but English had been hell today after Mr. Healy assigned a two page paper that was due Monday. No student's mind was in a state to write a two page paper over the theme of Romeo & Juliet, they were thinking about homecoming, and the raging after party. Like _normal_ teenagers.

"Are you okay? You've been a bit of a downer today?"

"I'm fine. It's just a new school year, we're seniors, so the pressure's on now."

Lorna grinned, "Just sounds like you're a little nervous. Is Larry coming to homecoming tonight?"

Piper laughed, "No, no homecoming date. How crazy is that? The cheer captain doesn't have a date?"

It didn't bother her one bit, that she didn't have a date. Sure she missed Larry, and wished he was coming to the game, but it was one less thing on her plate to worry about.

* * *

Litchfield High School was just the average high school. Students could be caught having sex in the back hallways, stairwells, and in the parking lot when they _thought_ no one was looking. There was what seemed to be a fight _daily_ , which the whole school would quickly flock to, despite where it was to record and post to social media, not thinking they could get in trouble for it later. Not everyone who recorded got caught if they were smart, but it was rare that someone would think about themselves and not the kind of attention they wanted from their peers over a fight that wouldn't matter in a year. The cafeteria was dull and the food was tasteless, but the room served as the social hub to get the news on who was dating who, who was pregnant this week, who held the answer key to which test, and who was being a backstabber. The high school was home to a little over two thousand students, and Piper was sure she had met them all.

Being a cheer captain had quite the list of responsibilities. Handing out programs at every award ceremony, musical concert, and graduation. Standing at the registration desk, awaiting to show freshman around the school and to their classrooms. Cheering at every sporting event whether it be in town or out. _Plus_ , maintaining C's or better in order to stay eligible.

Submerging herself into academics and cheerleading was Piper's _emotional_ getaway from her unethical and WASPy parents, but her own bathroom in the far right corner of her light pink room, right up the stairs and just to the left was where her _physical_ getaway was; _The shower_. Cheerleading and school took her mind away from the corrupted family she had at home and the baggage that came with it, although cheer was a whole stress of its own. In her shower, surrounded by two streams of hot, steaming water, the haven allowed her to block out all the heated arguments her parents continuously had, the whispered professions of love she heard being breathed into a hidden, prepaid cellphone by her father, and her mother's bitching at the housekeeper for leaving streaks on the bathroom mirrors and Cal for not being more like his older brother.

Piper was never home it seemed like, due to cheer practice and study groups, but it wasn't enough to be completely oblivious from the chaos. She longed for Larry to not be at Penn State in Pennsylvania studying Journalism to aspire to his dream of writing a column for the New York Times, she wished Polly wasn't so far up Pete's ass, the Australian foreign exchange student that played forward for the boys soccer team, all she wanted was for someone or something else to take up more of her time so she _wouldn't_ have time to be at home. The only time she enjoyed her house was when she was surrounded by her school's student body, enjoying the socializing and the compliments of how great a party it was.

Nothing ever seemed good enough to the elder Chapmans. It was as if they were replicating the way their parents treated them during their teenage years. If they weren't happy out mingling with their rich colleagues, they were at home miserable, but if they were at home miserable, they still weren't happy. There was no way to win in the Chapman Household.

The whole night during the Homecoming game, Piper forgot about Larry, her family, her homework, and focused on being the captain she needed to be.

* * *

The rancid smell of weed and liquor had infiltrated the loud, sweaty atmosphere of the large house and the party had only started an hour ago. Sounds of pop music were reverberating heavily off of every pristine surface that Carol Chapman took the utmost pride in. Teenagers were dancing closely to one another. So close that their sweat dripping down their bodies mingled and the body heat between them was near burning capabilities. The front door was wide open practically allowing anyone to enter unlike the upstairs bedrooms where teenagers had slipped away with their lovers.

If it wasn't for the monthly vacations that Carol scheduled to keep up the appearances that and she and Bill were still very much in love and to keep herself out of denial, these parties wouldn't be happening. Plus, Carol didn't like attending sporting events, stating that they were much too loud and didn't suit her type of person, so the vacations served as a great excuse to not participate in the school activities. She had only seen Piper cheer twice in the five years she had been cheering, but still bragged about Piper being the captain. Typical Carol Chapman move. As for Bill, he attended the football games and basketball games when he wasn't being coaxed away by his mistress or ordered around by his wife. One time when the football team was on the road he had scheduled a business trip in the same town just to see his daughter cheer. It had very much been a surprise to the blonde. The man tried to be there for his kids, something Carol didn't know how to do.

The football team had won by a nail-biting touchdown. The referees were hesitant to confirm it due to not being sure if the wide receiver had actually crossed the goal line, but as soon as the official's arms went up next to his ears, the whole stadium rumbled from the amount of excitement that roared through it.

After the game cheerleaders were taking the cliché pictures with their football player boyfriends, and Piper found herself standing wishing she had someone to take those types of pictures with. Her mind had been on Larry for the better part of the day after she received a cryptic text message from him after lunch talking about how down he had been feeling and so forth, but she tried her best to push it away for the time being. Piper could essentially have any football player on the team, but she chose to stay faithful to Larry.

Shouting could be heard coming from the game room that held a vintage pinball machine and a professional pool table.

"What's everyone cheering about?" Piper nudged the nearest shoulder, which happened to be John Bennett, the football teams leading running back. He was a senior, and already had four major colleges looking to sign him to play at the next level. The running back had a little girl with his girlfriend, Daya, who was three months old. Their relationship had been the only one that had ended up in a pregnancy and lasted. They made it work, unlike other people Piper went to school with. John never attended parties and he insisted on staying home with his family, but his girlfriend and baby had gone to New Jersey to visit family.

"Oh, hey. It's Alex. She's insanely good at pool and she's been showing off all her trick shots for the past half hour, practically scaring every one of her opponents away."

"Who's Alex?"

John's face scrunched up in confusion.

"Alex Vause, she goes to school with us. Surely you know her."

When the running back moved out of the way, Piper felt her breath hitch in her throat.

 _She hadn't seen this one before._

* * *

 **A/N: I couldn't stay away for too long and my insomnia is still running rampant. Just a little intro so I can get my mind in the right perspective before I dive all the way in. This is proving to be harder than I thought it would be.**

 **Larry will be gone soon, no worries there & More on Alex next chapter. **

**Some of the things you'll read will be based on true stories from my experiences in high school, but other's not so much.**

 **This is giving me mixed feelings, like a lot of mixed feelings, so let me know how you felt about this.**


	2. Chapter 2

**PSA! This chapter will end up where the last one ended and then the good part will start in chapter 3.**

 **Enjoy.**

 ** _Strangers & Ladyloves _**

* * *

_in·de·pen·dence_

 _freedom from outside control or support : the state of being independent_

* * *

From the young age of ten, Alex considered herself independent and refused to let someone tell her she wasn't. She could successfully use the microwave with no issues, she could read higher level books than all of her classmates _and_ comprehend what the words meant. Her teachers had even sent home countless notes to Diane complimenting her daughters, reading skill. With her mother working four different jobs that ran her ragged just to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table, Alex took it upon herself to take initiative and learn to do things for herself since her imbecile of a father had left the second Diane revealed she was expecting. Her father's band 'Death Maiden' took priority over Alex, and it would continue to be that way.

Alex's mother was her rock, her confidant, and her best friend. Being an only child had its perks, but more often than not she wished she at least had a companion or at least a friendly neighbor her age. In elementary school, she had no friends, and was constantly picked on for her outfits her mother purchased for her at a consignment store along with her Bobo's from Payless that looked like Adidas, but had one more stripe. Specifically, Jessica Wedge was the classmate that Alex despised the most, along with her little possy, and their snickering voices behind their leaders. She would never forget the day her mother had picked her up from school and thrown her shoes out of their clunker of a car to shed the embarrassment of her Bobo's.

The current apartment her and her mother had lived in had been the one they had stayed in the longest. _2 Years._ It was in a decent neighborhood. There were children from different apartments running up and down the sidewalk chasing the ice cream man, and occasionally you could see an old couple taking a nightly stroll. Every apartment before that had been home to domestic violence cases, stabbings, and once there had been a murder just a few doors down. Alex had never seen her mother get up and move so quickly, but she understood that Diane just wanted what was best for her. On some nights, she could hear her mother weeping through the paper thin walls about the conditions she was raising her daughter in, but never once did Diane falter in front of her daughter, she would continue to be the remarkable mother Alex thought she was. There had been one apartment that they lived in when Alex was six that she wished she could go back to. It had been a small two bedroom apartment with a kitchen not even big enough for two people to fit comfortably. In her mother's semi-spacious walk-in, there was a lower shelf that had a bar to hang clothes on and Diane had tied both ends of an old fitted sheet around the bar, making a small hammock for her daughter. It was Alex's little safe haven when she was home alone and her mother was at work. She thought that being in the comfort and safety of a little cocoon that her mother had constructed for her would protect her from any type of danger.

Entering middle school, the bullying went away and her personality was finally beginning to be accepted by a librarian who loved Alex's enthusiasm for classic books and old rock and roll. Mrs. Wilhelm, was a fifty-seven year old woman who wasn't married, nor had any kids. She was deathly afraid of pigeons, and she had six beloved cats. Sure Alex thought that seemed like the typical old lady, but when the librarian would let her keep discontinued books, she didn't really care what the woman did in her spare time. Occasionally, her aunt would bring by odds and ends she found at garage sales, and there would be a vintage book in the pile, but her aunt often came around to scold her sister about her working four jobs. Alex saw there was no need for her aunt to complain, because she was in the same situation, except she had three kids, and a husband who would spend his weekly paycheck on beer.

In high school, she had figured out what sexuality was, and quickly admitted to her mother that she as attracted to women in every single way, but felt nothing for men. Her nervousness had been very apparent to Diane, but she reassured Alex that she was happy for her and would be happy to meet every single one of them until Alex found the one. Relieved, was the only word to describe Alex after she broke the news, but to be honest, Alex didn't bring home anyone to meet her mother. On a few occasions, she had seen a girl doing the walk of shame, but the brunette hadn't found anyone worthy enough of meeting Diane. Not even Sylvie and they had been together for six months before they split up. This had been Alex's longest dry spell. Sylvie had found a boyfriend two years her senior who worshiped the ground she walked on, and barely replied to Alex's SOS's, and the cheerleaders she _had_ slept with, wouldn't give in anymore or Nicky had already taken them under her wing.

* * *

"I'm just saying, that co-captain will be on my list before we graduate. Perhaps multiple times."

"Lorna?" Alex asked around a cigarette she had just perched in between her lips, searching for the lighter in the pocket of her leather jacket. "She cheated off me in English last year, and she's my science partner this year. She has a boyfriend. He plays on the basketball team, or some shit like that."

"Has a boyfriend stopped you before?"

Nicky Nichols, had already been with over half of the girls on the cheer squad. Most of them were very much in the closet, but the wild haired teenager had seemed to pull them out of it. There was an unspoken rule that whoever banged the captain was deemed the queen, but Alex wasn't interested and Nicky was. The brunette believed that cheerleaders were far too peppy for her, despite their incredible flexibility.

Sylvie, Alex's ex-girlfriend, yet still came around for booty calls, had always told the brunette about her aspirations of being a cheerleader, but failed horrendously at tryouts. The red-head had even convinced Alex to take a break from her "incessant reading, and working on that damn motorcycle" as Sylvie put it, to come and watch her tryout. Attention was what she wanted. The attention of anyone would do, but after that tryout she didn't want Alex's attention for quite some time at how embarrassed she was. The pair had broken up shortly after that due to Alex's lack of emotional input, but Sylvie still came around oozing sex appeal in whatever provocative outfit she wore to lure Alex in, and more often in worked, just because Alex needed the release.

The pair were sitting outside of Litchfield High, letting the smoke infiltrate every fiber of their being before facing their first period teacher, Galina Resnikov. The teacher was Russian, and you could tell it from just her thick dialect. She taught world history, and Nicky spent most of her time attempting to distract her with questions, that would lead the Russian into long, and passionate discussions about her home country. Countless times, Nicky served detention for this woman, but it didn't bother her. There was something about 'Red', as they nicknamed her, that she wanted to know more about. Nicky wasn't sure if it was the motherly vibe she emanated, or the fact that she actually showed her some attention.

Joan Jett's distinct voice was blaring throughout Nicky's white BMW M3, that had been a hand me down from her mother. When Nicky was younger, she saw more of her nanny than her mother. Now that she was older, she saw her mother a tad bit more, but was often left by herself.

 _I don't give a damn 'bout my reputation_

 _You're living in the past, it's a new generation_

 _A girl can do what she wants to do and that's what I'm gonna do_

Nicky asked another question, before Alex could reply to her last one.

"Are you going to that homecoming party tonight?"

The brunette exhaled a puff of smoke.

"I had people placing bets last week, so yeah."

"When are those dumbfucks gonna learn?" Nicky chortled. "No one can beat you!"

 _An' I don't give a damn 'bout my bad reputation_  
 _Oh no, not me_

 _An' I don't give a damn 'bout my reputation_

 _Never said I wanted to improve my station_

 _An' I'm only doin' good when I'm havin' fun_

 _An' I don't have to please no one_

Alex had been named 'The Pool Master' from the moment she broke the first match of pool in the Chapman residence. She had seen the cheer captain from afar and had seen pictures in the school's yearbook, but she hadn't ever interacted with her in some form or fashion besides entering and leaving her home when parties were held. There were usually so many people attending the hurrah that she never ran into Piper. Lorna had told the brunette about the parties when Alex had started the high school her junior year, and had been going ever since.

Changing high schools had happened thanks to Nicky. Alex and Nicky had both gotten hired at "Max's Convenience Store" a year and a half ago and the brunette felt she had really found a friend. Of course, Nicky had made the initial passes at the brunette but quickly backed off once she saw the fangs of Sylvia Thompson. Diane didn't even flinch when her daughter brought up the request of transferring. The mother would do whatever she could to ensure happiness.

Max's was never busy unless they had a sale for dollar fountain drinks. The owner, Max, wasn't even sure how the store was able to stay open, with the lack of business but they somehow seemed to barely pull through every month. The two friends often found themselves throwing bubble gum wrappers at each other or sitting on the check-out counter talking mindlessly throughout the duration of the shift, often having to rock paper scissor for who helped the customer if one was to walk in.

* * *

Alex had been waiting her turn, after effortlessly not sinking the last turn so she wouldn't just obliterate her opponent. It wasn't abnormal for everyone to flock into this magnificent game room to watch the brunette dominate the pool table. She had learned to shoot pool at the age of eight, thanks to one of her moms bosses at a local bar. Her mother had quit that job, much to Alex's dismay after the violence had gotten out of hand, but the owner had a room upstairs that was no longer used for the bar and it was home to a Snooker table. It wasn't what Alex had learned on, but it still allowed her to practice after school when she didn't want to sit at home alone. No one ever disturbed her, and no one ever knew she was up there.

"Fuck." George Mendez, the second-string quarterback, threw his pool stick back into the rack. He had barely missed sinking his blue striped ball into the hole. Everyone had started to boo and rub it in his face that he had once again lost one hundred dollars to Alex. He was even so cocky, that Alex placed her beloved motorcycle as the bet. Never once did she start to feel her stomach rumble with butterflies because of how the game of pool was going. She had one by a long shot.

That motorcycle was her baby. it was barely in running condition, but it was better than what it was when Max had sold it to her for seventy-five dollars. The cycle had been sitting in an old, decrepit storage room for twenty years, and when it was pulled out, everything was rusted over and not in working condition. The brunette searched junk yards high and low for used parts, and had even done the shiny, black paint job herself. Alex worked for six months to learn how to work on it, so she could have her own means of transportation. Every minute Max wasn't at the store, she and Nicky would work on it, otherwise, it sat in the loading dock waiting to be ridden. She had big dreams for that motorcycle, but it was a work in progress.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a blonde emerge from the audience, and the running back was standing behind her whispering into her ear.

"Okay." Mendez through his money on the table towards Alex with a heated look. "Who's next?"

And suddenly the room went silent. It was as if there was glow radiating off of the blonde alone, giving her a spotlight in the sea of people around her.

Alex finally made eye contact with the blonde, through the moving bodies and pool sticks being used as swords. She quickly realized it was the cheer captain, whom she had never seen up close and personal and watched her standing there looking back at her with those cerulean eyes, before John Bennett broke the silence.

"Chapman knows how to play pool."

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you so much for the incredible feedback.**

 **This is super short and I hate writing these opening chapters, but I'm trying to get through it, so. Bear with me, please.**

 **I received a PM asking what my surroundings are like when I write and for me to share it with you, and it's literally different every single time. I listen to music almost always, the mood I'm in determines the genre. Usually, it's the 2000's pop radio station or Classic Rock station on Pandora. Sometimes I write on my phone, sometimes I sit in a hammock with my laptop, it just depends. I write for fun and to relieve stress, it keeps me busy and sane when I have nothing to do. Plus you guys are nice enough to read it. I hope that answers your question. I've never gotten any questions like this before, so.**

 **Cheers.**

* * *

 _Music:_

 _Bad Reputation, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts_


	3. Chapter 3

**A few of you have been pushing me really hard to continue this so thanks for that.**

 **Enjoy.**

 _ **Strangers & Ladyloves**_

* * *

 _com·pe·ti·tion_

 _the act or process of trying to get or win something (such as a prize or a higher level of success) that someone else is also trying to get or win : the act or process of competing_

* * *

Not a sound could be heard as the blonde and the brunette concentrated on each other's eyes. The room was booming with music and catcalls, but the two women concentrating so intensely on each other heard nothing but the sound of their heart furiously beating in their ears.

"Go get em' babe." Polly had suddenly pushed her way through the crowd to Piper, a beer in hand and Pete clinging to her side. She knew what the blonde's potential in pool was.

When the blonde looked around, a ring of people had formed around the pool table and John had stepped back allowing Piper room to breathe.

All eyes were on her. John had been her security blanket in this particular situation, all the attention had been on her and John, not just her. Or at least that's what she kept telling herself.

"I..Uh...Not today." Piper shook her head. "I need to go...get more beer." She tried to leave and John stopped her. Not only could she see his concerned gaze but she could see Polly's beady, brown eyes fixed on hers with the same look.

"Piper, everything is stocked. Play, you never let yourself have fun."

Pete too intervened and mumbled drunken words about "kicking ass" and "not being a pussy."

"I...I don't know." Piper all of a sudden felt completely exposed although she was still clad in her cheer uniform. She couldn't continue acting like this. She had broken eye contact with her opponent minutes ago, no longer feeling that capricious feeling coursing through her body.

Anxious looks and nagging words were being thrown at both of them now as the teenagers in the room gradually became more intoxicated and impatient.

Alex breathed out a long breath that she wasn't even aware of holding in as Piper finally agreed to play. Nicky was nowhere to be found and had surely snuck away with the first person who gave in to her continuous flirting, but then again, she didn't see Lorna anywhere around either.

Piper walked around the table to grab a cue stick with wobbly legs and grabbed Alex's outstretched hand in an introduction.

 _Thirty minutes later the Pool Master was still undefeated._

* * *

" _Hey, Larry!" Piper attempted to sound interested, but her mind kept wandering back to the intense game of pool she had just participated in. The adrenaline was still pumping through her veins._

" _Hi, Pipes. I heard you guys won, that's awesome. Wish I could've been there!"_

" _Yeah, Scott threw a great pass to John at the end of the fourth quarter. The stadium went crazy." Her mind drifted off as she observed her former opponent from afar, casually bending down to grab two beers perched in an ice chest just outside the backdoor._

" _Sounds like a great game happened. I was here…writing for my journalism class. Pretty boring night."_

 _The two beers seemed to grow closer._

 _Alex seemed to grow closer._

 _And her conversation with Larry grew farther._

"Are you alone?" Alex mouthed, noting she was on the phone.

Piper nodded, motioning for the tall girl to take a seat on the ledge next to her. She was dressed in a pair of black, skin tight jeans with a white v-neck that had a plunging neckline, leaving little to someone's imagination. The

" _Lar, can I call you back? I think they want the cheerleaders to take a group photo." Piper began to lie, her eyes drifting from the glowing lights in the pool to Alex who was lowering herself down next to the blonde._

" _Yeah. Go have fun. Miss you."_

" _Miss you too, Lar." She accepted the now open beer Alex nudged towards her. "Bye."_

She didn't even hear the "I Love You" Larry was saying as she cut off the call, suddenly hyperaware that the rush of adrenaline had dissolved into a pit of nervousness.

"Hope I didn't interrupt anything?"

"Oh, no." Piper stumbled, her mouth dry like thousands of cotton balls had taken up residence. "Just my…boyfriend…He's in Pennsylvania...At college."

Alex chuckled at how restive the cheerleader was behaving. She knew she had that effect on women, but it had never been _this_ bad.

"That was a great game of pool in there. Best competition I've had in a _long_ time. I honestly thought you had me beat there at the end."

Piper blushed.

"Thank you. My dad taught me when I was seven, and that's just kind of been the way we bond."

"You would've had me had I not blown air across the table to knock the second ball in." Alex smirked trying to lighten the mood in hopes that blonde would relax. "So, how long have you lived here?"

"Since I was two." Piper took a sip of her beer, letting her feet glide through the swimming pool from where she sat on the ledge, hoping it would take away some of her nervous energy. Crickets could be heard chirping throughout the backyard and June bugs were floating around the pool. Stars were shining bright due to how far away from the hustle and bustle of their small town they were. The roar of the house party could still be heard, and occasionally a rustle followed by small giggles in the bushes from where lovers had snuck away to be alone.

"It's a nice place." Alex nodded as she sat next to Piper, but with crossed legs on the edge instead of dipping them in the pool. The blonde noticed Alex continually hitting the neck of the bottle against her fingers, giving off a small clinking noise as it came in contact with a ring on her finger.

"Thank you." Piper slightly blushed again.

Something about Alex was different. A good kind of different, but somewhat alarming at the same time.

The two continued to speak well into the night until Nicky had reappeared, drunk, high, and demanding that Alex take her to IHOP for pancakes. Alex invited Piper to tag along, intrigued by how outgoing yet reserved the most popular girl in school was, but Piper reluctantly denied, due to having to clean up the aftermath of the party.

The way she spoke, the way she carried herself, it all stood out to the brunette, and that's why on the way out, she took Piper's number from the refrigerator door.

* * *

"Ms. Vause." Mr. Healey's stocky figure was plodding towards her seat in the back of the room. English came as no challenge, if it did she would still be sitting in the back of the classroom next to Nicky, giving all of her undivided attention to whatever came across her mind.

Her mind had been in a trance as she allowed her mind to drift away from the English class to something much more enticing. Something about the man's voice was unappealing and unable to capture her attention, it had been that way since the first day of class. His breath was nauseating and stench overwhelming, but there had always been rumors that he and the Russian world history teacher were linked rather affectionately. _"Ms. Vause?"_

"Vause." A rather harsh shove from Nicky broke her from her mindless gazing out into the parking lot where she could see Piper walking across the dew covered grass with the other fellow cheerleaders removing last week's decorations from the front of the school. It was slightly more difficult to pick out the blonde since she wasn't in her cheer uniform, but Alex surprised herself from how quickly her eyes automatically drifted past the other girls to the one specific blonde. She was wearing a pair of tight, black leggings with a Penn-State hoodie (obviously Larry's) that was two sizes too big for her petite figure.

"Yeah?"

The look he delivered was a very perturbed one.

"I asked you to read the poem on page seven of your packet and tell me why line four is significant to the poem as a whole."

Alex would've killed to run out of that class and never look back, but she sighed rather loudly, making sure the older man heard it and straightened up out of her slouching position.

"Thank you." Healey smirked. "You may begin."

The brunette looked down. The poem was something she had read a few times before, but her true love for poetry lied in the works of twentieth century poets such as Wallace Steven's, E.E. Cummings, and John Ashbery, not the nineteenth century era they had been studying.

Alex cleared her throat and read the poem.

" _THE WORLD is charged with the grandeur of God._

 _It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;_

 _It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil_

 _Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?_

 _Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;_

 _And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;_

 _And wears man's smudge and shares man's smell: the soil_

 _Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod._

 _And for all this, nature is never spent;_

 _There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;_

 _And though the last lights off the black West went_

 _Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs—_

 _Because the Holy Ghost over the bent_

 _World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings."_

Nicky's clear, intelligible chuckles that she was attempting to choke down could be heard throughout the entire duration Alex recited the poem. If their teacher hadn't of perched himself on the window sill that Alex had been staring out of, she would've rammed her fist into the girl's shoulder.

"Now explain line four's importance please, Ms. Vause."

 _That_ was something that disgusted Alex also. Healey refused to use first names, claiming it was more "proper" and "showed respect", but she wasn't Ms. Vause. Ms. Vause was her mother.

"Well, it's significant because it implies a major proposition of the poem and provides a transition into an explanation of that proposition. He opens the poem by stating that God's grandeur thrives in the physical world, and then he asks the question above." Nicky looked on in awe as Alex delivered her answer. Healey too was entranced by Alex's thorough answer. "But it is a rhetorical question that actually suggests the author's premise that mankind does not treat the world—and, therefore, God—at all well. It provides a transition into Hopkins' clarification of the ways in which mankind abuses the world and has lost touch with the physical world and with God."

Healey was speechless as Nicky continued to blink repeatedly, not believing such an elaborate answer had just come from her friend's mouth. The rest of the class too was in a state of shook except for the few football players that slept in the back of the class.

"Very good, Ms. Vause…Have you read this before?"

"A couple of times." Alex nodded, silently wishing he would resume his place back at the front of the room, leaving her to continue peering out the window. She was sure that the cheerleaders had gone back in by now, considering she couldn't see due to the man obstructing the view.

"If you'd like to join the poet-."

"I'm not interested."

Healey stared for a moment before nodding silently and pacing back towards the front, still in awe of the potential Alex had just showed him. He didn't dare ask another student's opinion due to the fact that he knew he wouldn't receive one any better than the one he had just been given.

Nicky chuckled as she watched Alex slump back down into her desk, propping her feet up on the empty seat in front of her. She knew that Alex had read what seemed like every book in the school and public library, but was astonished at how well she could explain something so intricate.

"Look at you, Shakespeare."

"Shut the fuck up." The brunette's tone was irritated. "I'd like to see you come up with a better answer."

Alex didn't dare look at the wild-haired girl, knowing all too well that her usual, shit-eating grin was plastered on her face and sure enough when she turned her head in the opposite direction, the blonde and her cheer squad was nowhere to be found.

The number in her phone, practically burning a hole in her pocket, but the right time to use it hadn't presented itself.

There was a boyfriend in the picture, not that they had stopped Alex before, but this wasn't just another one of those girls.

* * *

 **A/N: It's very out of character for me not to update a fic in months, but I have just had writers block with this one and needed to find some inspiration.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this. Let me know what you think whether it may be good, bad, or ugly. Or drop a suggestion on something you would like to see.**

 **Too fast? Too slow? You don't care?**

 **Cheers.**

* * *

 _The poem used is "God's Grandeur" by Gerald Manley Hopkins. One of my favorites. I am by no means preaching religion. This poem is just easiest for me to elaborate on._

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._


	4. Author's Note

**Hi all!**

 **Sadly, this isn't an update, but I just wanted to share something with you guys.**

 **I used parts of this to write a poem focusing specifically on imagery in one my creative writing classes. I spent a few days figuring out which lines from this story, 'The Swimming Pool' (The one shot I wrote previous to posting this story), and what I could add from my own creative mind. Eventually I turned it in, frustrated with the outcome because the poetic side of writing is something I'm not comfortable with, but was relieved that the assignment was finally out of my sight.**

 **I received my feedback about the poem yesterday. I had been worried that what I had turned it was not what the professor wanted and strayed away from the requirements, but this time that wasn't the case. Surprisingly, I received the highest grade possible (which was an A), and now my poem is being recognized in one of the many English/Literature events we have at my university, along with being submitted into a state wide contest. To say I was shocked is an understatement.**

 **As I sit here typing this at 4 AM, I'm overjoyed in all honesty. I am my biggest critic when it comes to writing, and sometimes I don't think I give myself enough credit.**

 **I just wanted to say thank you for all you guys support in reading not only this story, but all my other writings as well. I write because I want to share it with you and because it's something I enjoy doing. Never did I think I would have this kind of experience because of something I wrote based on a couple from a television series (but with my own little twist).**

 **I'm actively working on an update for this story. When it comes to Strangers, I can't just type out a 3000 word chapter in a few hours like I can with domestic.**

 **Just wanted to share with you guys.**

 **Thanks for being patient.**

 **-MadeintheUS**


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I know, I'm a horrible human being for keeping you guys waiting for over 8 months.

 **Enjoy.**

 _ **Strangers & Ladyloves**_

* * *

 _com·mu·ni·ca·tion_

 _the act or process of using words, sounds, signs, or behaviors to express or exchange information or to express your ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc., to someone else_

* * *

There had been two customers for the entire duration of her six hours she had been at Max's convenience store and she had another two dreaded hours left. Nicky wasn't scheduled to work that day, leaving her to man the store by her lonesome.

That one particular phone number still burning a hole in her pocket. She had been thinking about it since she stole it off the stainless-steel refrigerator from the Chapman home. Friday night was still fresh on her mind. In fact, her mind had even drifted from Healey's droning voice this morning and was searching for Piper in the pack of cheerleaders outside, but she was pulled away when she was asked her opinion on a certain poem.

The bright, highlighter yellow sticky note that Alex had taken for herself with Piper's number on it was sitting right in front of her and it had been for the past three hours of her shift. The one customer she had during that time period hadn't even noticed it.

There was something different about Piper. When you thought of cheer captains, an image of a snooty, vicious girl in an overly short skirt came into view, but Piper was the complete opposite. Her expansive knowledge over old and modern literature was compelling. The way she carried herself, it didn't represent a wasp, but it portrayed that she very much wanted to be her own person. When they had sat on the edge of Piper's pool, the host In fact, often commented on how she wanted to get away from the lavish, and luxurious lifestyle that her parents were trying to instill in her. But Alex worried that her own home and lifestyle wouldn't be that getaway that Piper craved if this were to grow into something more.

Alex typed out a text and deleted it many times before she settled on one. She had never acted like this about a girl before. With Sylvie she was predictable and only needed something small to flatter her, but Piper was much more intricate and amiable. The brunette rarely approached girls first, but she had been the one to go and find Piper.

Before she could change her mind again, Alex tapped the send button.

* * *

 _Piper sat on her bed with her legs stretched out in front of her. They were parted just enough to where her laptop could fit snugly in between them while she worked on her early application to Smith._

 _The 1975 could be heard softly drifting about the rosy colored walls that she liked to call her own little safe haven. This room held a lot of memorable moments for her all the way from her childhood._

 _It was quiet, serene even. But there was a distraction in her room. Not a fly buzzing annoyingly around her ear. Not a cat repeatedly meowing to be let out of the room. Not a tree branch gently tapping against her window._

 _It was a human distraction._

 _Although she could only see the bottom half of the body as well as the arms that were wrapped around her, she had seen this particular human before. The jet black hair that was draped over her shoulder, trying to glance at the words she was typing on the screen. The deep, raspy voice that was whispering into her ear. The lone tribal band tattoo that wrapped around her forearm._

" _Alex." She whispered, a grin spreading across her face like a wildfire._

" _Piper." A deep rasp in her, the sound resonating deep down in her belly._

" _Piper?" The voice was distant now, suddenly she felt herself falling, unable to catch herself. The voice wasn't the one that was just reverberating in her mind. It was higher, more accentuated._

"Piper?" The clicks of Carol Chapman's heels grew louder as she drew closer to the kitchen where the teenager was sitting at the table, many books of different subjects spread out in front of her. "Piper, I've been calling your name for _five_ minutes."

"Sorry." Piper shook her head, completely perplexed from her day-dreaming.

"Piper, dear…Your father and I are holding a charity dinner for the country club this Friday night. Your father also requested you and your brother be in attendance, no ifs, ands, or buts."

The young girl knew better than to roll her eyes and groan in vexation, instead she quietly acquiesced. Everything in her not so humble abode was prompt and modest. Almost always true feelings were swept under the rug and never surfaced again until something really just triggered them.

Internally, she was wishing that this wasn't a bye week for the football team she would already have prior obligations, but there was no way around this monstrous event that Carol took such pride in holding. The only thing that ever got her through these dinners was her grandmother Celeste and her brother Cal.

"I'm off to the salon and then to dinner with the wives of the men your father plays golf with."

"Okay." Piper mumbled, not fully focused on her mother that was now standing directly in front of her. She hadn't even noticed she had dozed off, or what caused her to dream of _her_ for that matter. She had only met _her_ once. They had engaged in a conversation on the edge of her pool after the homecoming party just last weekend. It was all she could think of when she wasn't swamped with SAT prep and the demanding responsibilities of being cheer captain. In fact, she should be at practice teaching two new cheers and going over what uniforms they would be wearing throughout the week for different events, but she had left Lorna in command, claiming she had a stomachache. But in reality, school and cheer was overwhelming her and she felt like she was drowning in it with no way out. Not to mention, Larry, another thing that was pushing her even further and further down into the pool of stress.

But her mind left the pool of tension, drifting back to Alex. _The Pool Master_. Her classmate (who she didn't know she had until three days ago) that had been dominating the pool table in her game room for who knows how long now. The girl whom had beaten her by one shot that had knocked her winning shot away from the straight path into the pocket. She would've beaten her if she hadn't scratched the shot before. The atmosphere in the room had thunderous and broiling from all the sweaty bodies packing into the game room of the Chapman household, yet both teenagers were only focused on the task at hand.

Afterwards, she remembered seeing the look of incredulity that Alex had unfurled across her face. She had never come that close to being defeated before. The skilled brunette had even followed her outside to the pool afterwards due to her disbelief and invited her to a midnight breakfast at a local diner, but she had declined. Part of her wondered what would have happened if she had said yes.

The longer Piper thought about it, that same pulsing feeling of adrenaline she had encountered during the match had started to rush through her veins once again. She only played with her father, he was the one who had brought her skills up to par after all. It was one of the only times she ever really got to bond with him. Despite all the nail-biting games she participated in with him, none had ever made her feel this way.

When Alex had met her at the edge of the pool, she had been an unruly mess, her heart still beating rapidly, yet she had been attempting to hide it while she was on the phone with her boyfriend. Her and Alex's conversation started out bumpy, learning the basics about one another but two and a half hours later they were divulged into a deep conversation over Sylvia Plath's works and how her poem _'Metaphors'_ arises from the dichotomy of Plath's tone and the imagery she chose to convey her mentality. The two teenagers had both concluded that it was merely a riddle that she was telling, but instead the poem was actually depicting herself feeling insignificant in the midst of a pregnancy. The fact that the piece had nine lines that corresponded to the nine months of pregnancy, and each line possessed nine syllables, completely absent from their minds.

Piper hadn't even noticed she had drifted for an even longer amount of time until a soft buzz came from somewhere on the table. Lifting books and stray pieces of paper, she found her phone lit up with a text from an unknown number.

 _Is this Piper?_

The blonde sat up a littler straighter in the wooden chair.

 _Yes? Who's this?_

Almost immediately she got a reply.

 _It's Alex. We sat out by your pool Friday night after our game of pool._

* * *

 _ **A few days later…**_

They hired waiters to go around and serve people as they mingled. They had the house cleaned by professionals three times that week just to ensure there wasn't a fleck of dust or fingerprint on any surface. Being a part of the country club meant there was a reputation to uphold, and that reputation depended on the most irrational reasons.

They poured liquor from their crystal decanters, which was a proud display of their true diet staple, and also promptly provided sips to any incoming guest. It was a true WASP principal that was never avoided. The more sips, the merrier.

WASPs tended to be functioning alcoholics, they saw that there was nothing wrong with drinking yourself to sleep as long as when you wake up you're still capable of running the show. The night before the dinner Carol had seemed to drink more than usual, yet she was still up and running like her usual self the next morning. She was stressed about what she would wear, who would show up, and most importantly; what juicy gossip would be swimming around this week. Carol and her husband came from old money. This was the only lifestyle they knew, and it was hard for Piper to even try to imagine their parents being anything else.

"Piper, honey? Could you put your cellphone in your room, please? You're here to mingle, not to have your face hidden in your incessant texting." A pinch was delivered to the sensitive skin behind her arm, causing her to let out a small yelp. "Larry can wait until later."

She could hear the faint snickers coming from Cal as she sat next to him on the loveseat in the living room that was filled with women wearing far too much perfume and men that continually boasted about their money. This was WASP central, with men in printed pants and ladies in colorful cardigans.

"Sorry." Piper murmured, straightening up her posture and tucking her phone in between her leg and the couch. The young blonde would often do anything not to fit in. She'd wear ridiculously high platform shoes, oversized chandelier earrings or a sundress with logos all over it, but her mother would almost always send her right back upstairs to change. Logos were a country club no no.

"In your room, Piper. We have guests for God's sake." Before Piper could react, Carol had reached for her phone and successfully pulled it out, not caring if she was making a scene or not.

The cheer captain took her sweet time climbing the stairs, she didn't want to part with her phone. Her mother had assumed she was texting Larry, but it was quite the opposite situation.

It had taken her by surprise when Alex had texted her earlier in the week. She hadn't even known how she had gotten her number, but with their school being so large, she didn't put it past her classmates to just randomly hand it out.

At first she had been skittish and unsure as she and the opponent of her recent pool match began to converse back and forth. Instantly she noted that there was more animation and in-depth conversations compared to anyone she had texted before. It was almost _easy_ talking to Alex once she was comfortable with the situation.

Most of their conversations were about whatever they were up to at that current moment in time and what literature they had been delving into recently. Before Piper knew it, she had been texting Alex for almost five days straight, only taking breaks when sleeping. Each break during cheer practice, classes, or studying, she texted the brunette.

She knew very little about Alex and her mysterious, yet winsome self, but each conversation left her longing for a little bit more. Lorna had filled her in on the basics, but Piper had already gathered those aspects just from talking to the brunette. What had ultimately caught her off-guard was when Lorna explained that Alex had a player's mentality. She and Nicky, both, but

As she went to set her phone down on her nightstand, a new text came in from Alex.

 _How's WASP central?_

Piper smiled as she read the text, sitting down on the lip of her bed as she debated on what to reply with. She had only mentioned the dinner once earlier in the week, and yet here Alex was asking how it was going. Larry rarely ever paid that much attention, blaming his ignorance on stress from school and his extreme longing for Piper.

 _All I've heard is conversations about cheating husbands and landscapers that cut the grass half an inch too short. If that gives you any inkling…_

"Pipes?" Cal appeared in her doorway. "Mom's about to blow a gasket if you don't get back down there. She's already pissed that Mrs. Johnson already drank half of her new bottle of scotch."

When she arrived back downstairs, she was sure if looks could kill, Carol Chapman would've already killed her multiple times. She searched around for her father, but he wasn't anywhere to be found. He was most likely in his study sipping brandy with the men from the country club, engaging in an intense conversation about the rise and fall of the stock market.

Her grandmother hadn't arrived yet, leaving her the only option of following behind her mother, greeting the people that were congregating throughout the bottom floor of her home.

…

"Hey." Piper nudged her brother's elbow with her own as he stood at the island of their kitchen picking off of a cheese platter. "Want to get out of here?"

In less than two minutes Cal and Piper were seated in the senior's 1969 Camaro and on their way to Max's convenience store about a mile and a half away from the Chapman home. Cal made the decision on where to go, claiming he was in need of a Slurpee and convenience store hotdog.

The Camaro was her practically her child. The steering wheel had taken a beating from where she drummed to the beat of a song or took her frustrations out on it. The area where the speedometer and temperature gauge was held a picture of her and Larry from last year's homecoming. There was already a tassel hanging on the rearview mirror thanks to Carol Chapman and her insistence on pre-ordering her cap and gown even though there was over seven months until graduation. Her backseat practically looked as if she lived in the car itself.

The car had been her sixteenth birthday present. It was racing red with two large black stripes running down the center from one end of the car to the other. Bill Chapman had bought the car in mint condition, claiming his little girl deserved it.

"I give it five minutes before mom calls, _completely_ wigging out that we left."

"Nah." Piper shook her head in confidence. "I think she's already too drunk to even notice."

Cal laughed at the truth in his sister's admission before reaching over and turning up the radio full blast, enjoying the wind that was rushing through car from the open windows.

As Piper picked up speed, she felt a little more rebellious and less innocent than her mother was at home claiming she was.

…

When the pair entered the convenience store, there were no worker's in sight. They rarely ever came to this store, especially if they were with their parents. Carol claimed the store was too run-down and dirty for her tastes, but Cal always rebutted with saying this was where the best flavored hot dogs were.

As Piper and Cal chose their snacks and approached the checkout counter, there still wasn't a worker present, but there was a sign with a small bell next to it that read, 'Ring for Service.'

Just as the blonde went to ring the bell, a deep, raspy voice filled the quiet atmosphere.

"Don't ring that. I'm right here."

Nothing could've prepared Piper for that voice, nor the sudden flip her stomach did. There was no doubt in her mind that it wasn't who she thought it was. She had only heard that specific voice once, but there was no way she could ever forget it.

When she looked up, it seemed to have taken Alex by surprise also.

"Piper…Hi."

Piper waved her hand quickly. She noticed that Alex's hands were covered in a black substance.

Alex must've trailed her line of vision because she quickly spoke up.

"I have a motorcycle in the back that I work on when it's slow." All Piper could do was nod in response. She had never pictured Alex being someone that was into motorcycles, but the more she thought about it, the more it suited her. "That's a pretty sick set of wheels you have out there. You didn't tell me that was _your_ car that everyone ogles over in the parking lot."

Piper stammered, a blush spreading up her neck and onto her cheeks. Before she could form a coherent sentence, her brother was placing something else onto the counter to buy.

"There's a party at Mendez's house later tonight if you can get away from the chokehold of WASP's. I'm heading over there after I get done here." Alex scanned the items that were placed in front of her. "You should come by."

Piper's phone was ringing in her pocket and she was one-hundred percent certain it was Larry. He called every night around this time. But for once, she didn't feel bad for ignoring her own boyfriend.

"Okay." The blonde beamed, not realizing that was the first word she had uttered the entire time she'd been standing directly across from Alex.

* * *

A/N: I bet this wasn't the fic you thought you would be seeing updated after watching season 5.

Apologies for the wait.


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